Prevalence of prolonged amenorrhea in HIV-infected women. Results from the Italian DIDI study

As result of the large availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), many HIV-infected women are now surviving into the fifth decade of life and beyond and will or have already experienced 1 menopause. To the extent that meno- pause exacerbates the risks of diseases of aging, it is important to consider whether natural menopause occurs ear- lier in HIV-infected women. Several investigators have studied gynecologic issues in midlife HIV-infected women and the effect of HIV on the age at which women reach menopause. The studies available, however, fail to pro- vide conclusive data permitting confir- mation that the age of HIV-positive women at menopause is younger than that of uninfected women.